Stephen Colbert is heading into the final weeks of The Late Show with a warm sendoff for the man taking over his time slot. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert revealed that he personally reached out to Byron Allen after CBS announced that Comics Unleashed would replace The Late Show at 11:35 p.m. beginning May 22.
“God bless him. I know Byron,” Colbert told the outlet, explaining that the two got to know each other over the past year. After hearing Allen landed the slot, Colbert said he immediately sent him a congratulatory message. “Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you,” Colbert recalled writing, before adding a joke tied to Allen’s history with late-night television: “Wouldn't it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note?”
The reference wasn’t random. Long before becoming a billionaire media owner, Allen made history at 18 as the youngest comedian ever to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. That appearance helped launch a career that eventually turned into a media empire worth billions. Allen now owns properties including The Weather Channel, TheGrio, and dozens of television networks through Allen Media Group.
CBS confirmed earlier this year that Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen would move into Colbert’s longtime slot immediately after The Late Show airs its finale on May 21. Allen’s comedy panel series, which first launched in 2006, had already been airing after Colbert in the 12:35 a.m. window. CBS is reportedly leasing the hour to Allen, whose company covers production costs while handling ad sales for the block.
Colbert kept his reaction to the broader shake-up short when asked how he felt about CBS replacing a traditional late-night format with Allen’s syndicated comedy model. “It’s none of my business,” he said. The network previously described the cancellation of The Late Show as a financial decision tied to the increasingly difficult economics of late-night television.
The transition comes after Allen spent much of the last year expanding his influence both inside and outside Hollywood. In 2025, Allen settled a massive $10 billion racial discrimination lawsuit against McDonald's after accusing the company of excluding Black-owned media from its primary advertising budget. Around the same time, Allen openly campaigned for Colbert’s slot, telling reporters he had been waiting decades for the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Colbert is preparing for life after late-night. During the same interview, he revealed he’s working on a new project tied to The Lord of the Rings universe alongside his son and longtime franchise writer Philippa Boyens.
